[opensourcedex]

Coolify is a free, open source server & vm management project written in PHP and released under Apache-2.0. It has 61,942 GitHub stars, 5,489 forks and 649 open issues, and was last pushed 6 hours ago. On this registry it ranks #1 of 10 tracked projects in Server & VM Management, and is listed as an open source replacement for 1 paid product, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available. It gained 236 stars over the last 6 tracked days.

Coolify — Deploy apps, databases, and services to your own server

What is Coolify?

What it is

Coolify is an open-source, self-hostable Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) designed to replace commercial services like Vercel, Heroku, and Netlify. It runs on user-provided infrastructure—VPS, bare metal, or Raspberry Pi—and automates deployment, scaling, and management of applications, databases, and services using Docker and Docker Compose. Built with Laravel and PHP, it lives in the infrastructure and operations ecosystem, targeting developers and DevOps teams seeking vendor lock-in-free control over their deployment stack.

Coolify solves the problem of complex, repetitive deployment workflows by abstracting infrastructure concerns behind a unified interface. Users define applications and services once; Coolify handles container orchestration, SSL termination, environment variable management, and automatic restarts. All configurations persist directly on the host server, ensuring portability and resilience even if Coolify itself is decommissioned.

Key capabilities

  • Deploy static sites, full-stack apps (Next.js, Inertia.js, Laravel), and databases (MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL) via one-click templates
  • Manage 280+ pre-configured services (e.g., Redis, PostgreSQL, MinIO) through integrated service templates
  • Automate CI/CD via Git webhook triggers with support for GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket
  • Provision SSL certificates automatically using Let’s Encrypt
  • Scale applications horizontally by adjusting container replicas via the UI
  • Configure custom buildpacks or use Dockerfile-based builds for full flexibility
  • Export deployed configurations as Docker Compose files for offline or alternative orchestration

Who uses it and how

  • Developers deploy personal projects or client apps to dedicated VPS without managing complex CI/CD pipelines
  • Small teams replace Heroku or Netlify by self-hosting Coolify on a single server to cut recurring costs
  • Hobbyists run multiple services (e.g., database, web app, reverse proxy) on Raspberry Pi or low-cost cloud VMs
  • Organizations needing vendor lock-in avoidance use Coolify to maintain full control over application configurations and infrastructure state

Getting started

Install via the official script: curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash. A paid cloud version is available at https://app.coolify.io. Docker-based deployments are also supported using official images.

When to use it — and when not to

Coolify is ideal for teams wanting Heroku-like simplicity with self-hosted infrastructure, especially where cost control or compliance drive infrastructure ownership. It requires SSH access to target servers and assumes basic Docker familiarity. Users must provision and maintain supporting infrastructure (e.g., persistent storage, SMTP for notifications, database for Coolify’s own data). It lacks enterprise-grade features like multi-region failover, granular RBAC, or integrated monitoring—making it less suitable for large-scale production workloads requiring those capabilities. Compared to Vercel, it trades convenience and edge networks for control, but requires manual DNS and CDN setup.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Coolify

An open-source & self-hostable Heroku / Netlify / Vercel alternative.

Latest Release Version

About the Project

Coolify is an open-source & self-hostable alternative to Heroku / Netlify / Vercel / etc.

It helps you manage your servers, applications, and databases on your own hardware; you only need an SSH connection. You can manage VPS, Bare Metal, Raspberry PIs, and anything else.

Imagine having the ease of a cloud but with your own servers. That is Coolify.

No vendor lock-in, which means that all the configurations for your applications/databases/etc are saved to your server. So, if you decide to stop using Coolify (oh nooo), you could still manage your running resources. You lose the automations and all the magic. 🪄️

For more information, take a look at our landing page at coolify.io.

Installation

curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash

You can find the installation script source here.

[!NOTE] Please refer to the docs for more information about the installation.

Support

Contact us at coolify.io/docs/contact.

Cloud

If you do not want to self-host Coolify, there is a paid cloud version available: app.coolify.io

For more information & pricing, take a look at our landing page coolify.io.

Why should I use the Cloud version?

The recommended way to use Coolify is to have one server for Coolify and one (or more) for the resources you are deploying. A server is around 4-5$/month.

By subscribing to the cloud version, you get the Coolify server for the same price, but with:

  • High-availability
  • Free email notifications
  • Better support
  • Less maintenance for you

Donations

To stay completely free and open-source, with no feature behind the paywall and evolve the project, we need your help. If you like Coolify, please consider donating to help us fund the project's future development.

coolify.io/sponsorships

Thank you so much!

Huge Sponsors

  • Context.dev - Web scraping API for AI agents
  • SerpAPI - Google Search API — Scrape Google and other search engines from our fast, easy, and complete API.
  • MVPS - Cheap VPS servers at the highest possible quality
  • ScreenshotOne - Screenshot API for devs
  • PrivateAlps - Cloud Services Provider, VPS, servers infrastructure for people who care about privacy and control
  • Seibert Group - Boost productivity company-wide with AI agents like Claude Code
  • Contabo - Cloud VPS & dedicated servers at unbeatable prices

Big Sponsors

  • Cloudways - Managed cloud hosting platform by DigitalOcean
  • ByteBase - Database CI/CD and Security at Scale
  • Ramnode - High Performance Cloud VPS Hosting
  • 23M - Your experts for high-availability hosting solutions!
  • Macarne - Best IP Transit & Carrier Ethernet Solutions for Simplified Network Connectivity
  • Hetzner - Server, cloud, hosting, and data center solutions
  • Logto - The better identity infrastructure for developers
  • Supadata - Scrape YouTube, web, and files. Get AI-ready, clean data for your next project.
  • Tolgee - The open source localization platform
  • Best Consultant - Your trusted technology consulting partner
  • ArcJet - Advanced web security and performance solutions
  • SupaGuide - Your comprehensive guide to Supabase
  • CodeRabbit - Cut Code Review Time & Bugs in Half
  • Convex - Convex is the open-source reactive database for web app developers.
  • GoldenVM - Premium virtual machine hosting solutions
  • Comit International - New York Times award–winning contractor!
  • Compai - The open source compliance automation platform that does everything you need to get compliant, fast. Open source alternative to Drata & Vanta.
  • Tigris - Modern S3 Alternative
  • Blacksmith - Infrastructure automation platform
  • JobsCollider - 30,000+ remote jobs for developers
  • Darweb - Design. Develop. Deliver. Specialized in 3D CPQ Solutions for eCommerce.
  • Hostinger - Web hosting and VPS solutions
  • Mobb - Secure Your AI-Generated Code to Unlock Dev Productivity
  • Ubicloud - Open source cloud infrastructure platform
  • PFGLabs - Build Real Projects with Golang
  • JuxtDigital - Digital PR & AI Authority Building Agency
  • SaasyKit - Complete SaaS starter kit for developers
  • American Cloud - US-based cloud infrastructure services
  • LiquidWeb - Premium managed hosting solutions
  • Greptile - The AI Code Reviewer
  • VPSDime - Cheap VPS Hosting - 4GB for $5/month
  • dataforest Cloud - Deploy cloud servers as seeds independently in seconds. Enterprise hardware, premium network, 100% made in Germany.
  • ISHosting - Hosting and VPS solutions
  • PetroSky Cloud - Open source cloud deployment solutions
  • QuickSrv - Fast and reliable server hosting

Small Sponsors

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readme truncated — read the full docs on github

Frequently asked questions

Is Coolify free to use?

Coolify is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does Coolify do?

Deploy apps, databases, and services to your own server

What is Coolify written in?

Coolify is primarily written in PHP. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify, and it has 61,942 GitHub stars.

What is a good open source alternative to Vercel?

Coolify is one of the open source options listed as an alternative to Vercel. Compare licences, stars and activity side by side on the Coolify profile.